.Validation.

I've been very vocal about the choice that Cheyenne and I have made to make sure that Amelia {and subsequent children we may have} gets a nutritious, varied, wholesome, organic diet and I have to say that we've been really successful. Recently there have been a couple of articles and published studies that validate and confirm our choice to raise our child with a healthy diet {on top of countless others that have been published in the last ten years}.
A UK study involving 14,000 children has shown a link between a diet high in junk food {french fries, potato chips, cookies, pizza, etc} and lower IQ in children under age 3 versus a higher than average IQ in children with a healthy diet {fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, etc} five years later.
Here is another report, on the link between food additives {like unnatural food coloring and preservatives} and hyperactivity in children. "The link between food additives and hyperactivity has long been suspected, but this is the first study to show a direct connection." say British researchers. Obviously, food alone does not cause ADD or ADHD but it's certainly a factor and as parents it's our job to make sure that we limit as many elements as possible that could lead to our child/ren having a harder time in life mentally, emotionally, or physically.
A while ago we were visiting "person x" {it's not my intention to make anyone feel bad or picked on. So, although I find this a good example, I don't want to use said person's actual identity} and noticed that "child x" was allowed cookies, candy, soda, high fructose corn syrup laden "juice" {if less than 2% natural fruit is used to create a drink I am a bit loath to call it juice}, and even at one point a caffeine, sugar, fat, and chocolate filled Starbucks style drink. "Child x" was bouncing off of the walls during the entire visit, wouldn't listen when asked to behave, and dinner was a total bust. Cheyenne & I bring this up almost weekly because it was so shocking to us that 1. these foods/drinks were allowed but that 2. no one but us seemed to connect the link between the diet of "child x" and the behavior of "child x".
There are, of course, other examples but you get the point. Each family is different and raising children is often an effort in picking and choosing your battles based on what works for your family. For the Clark household this is a battle that we intend to fight. Luckily, it's not that much of a battle for us. Junk food is rare here and soda, juice, etc is even more rare. I think we purchase soda maybe once a year and when we do it's used for mixers at a party but that was extremely rare before we had a baby and hasn't yet happened since having her. We drink water about 90% of the time, milk 5%, and the last 5% is taken up by the odd glass of wine, beer, martini, or coffee. We don't buy candy and junk - I make dessert about once a week but in that case since I'm making it I'm aware of what ingredients are going in and can control their quality and quantity. So we're thinking that if the "bad" foods aren't in the house {because they almost never are} then it's not something that we actually will have to battle too much - you cant crave what you've never tried or had access to.
Do I believe that this alone will keep my child from developing ADHD? No, I know that there are many factors that contribute to ADHD and that food is only one of them - others, such as genetics, cannot be helped. Do I believe that this alone will make my child's IQ higher than yours? No, of course not. But I do firmly believe that the diet we provide her contributes to her overall health now and is laying the groundwork for a healthier life and well being for the rest of her days. And that, to me, is one of the most important parts of my *job* as a mom.